Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-02-19
N lumber 80
Early Maturity.

The question of early maturity
IN the feeding Of animals used as
human food is always interesting.
tits simply Il question OF the COST
Of material foodto produce aroun |
of meat. The question Of prppara-
ton of food comes in, OF course,
collatterally. in the feeding ofany
farm stock it is definitely settled
that the younger the animal more
fully is the fDndaSSimilat..i. That is,
the y0nng animal will! give a great.
err return for the food taken than
will an older one, and the younger
the animal the greater tile return.
Of beeveS, ut the Fat stock Show
at Chicago it was shown that of
nine steers weighing 966 pounds
each at the end Of the first year.
the cost Of the breeder and feeder
was three and "a half .nts per
pound. In the second year five of
thesea gained an average. of 5s6
|.pouTdS eaeh, sthese stssbefng:
cents per pound. Two Of these
:thethirll year gained $50 POUNDS,
but cost to make thirteen cents per
pound. This of course is all ex.
IRENE case where the cost of arSi.
fetal feeding and care must$be ta-
kenInto consideration, bnftbe fact
nevertheless remains that the old.
er tho animal the less giin is there
for the food consumed. The time
inevitably comes when, however
much fool Is given, however rich
the food, no gain can be found
Hence it may be set tlown as q
constant rule that the older the
animal the less return shall we get
for the food given. In this con-
nection the rdle has been foun:l
Identical in EnglanrI. In relation
to this matter the Burnley Gazette
(England), in relation to feeding
in that country, says:
Sat lsllngton last year u prize
winning Devon steer weighed 500
pounds at 3SS days old, having
made the very satisfactory gainfor
a small breed of two pounds daily.
This year ut Birmingham the prize
winners in the under four years
old" class had all gained less TIL IN
two pounds daily, the cross bred
Short-Horn and Angus bnllocI1s
having bred the highest daily gain
Of one pound and fourteen ounces.
The 'nnder three years old" ami.
mails had made u daily gun OF two
pounds and one ounce, and two
pounds one and II halt ounces in
the Case of the prize Short Horl
and Pollel Angus, and of two
pounds three an. Il half ounces in
that ofcross bred Champion oxen.
The same story, showing the adj
vantage of early maturity, might
he told ofSheep. Coloneltl'Arbres's
Hampshire lambs have been ex-
hiblted, weighing Lie pounds at
ten months old, and whose young
sheep are sold as mutton. at seven,
Height; sild-nlIie months otid, weigh.
ing LIZ pound, or as much as we5h.
ers did formerly atone year older"
The practical less IN to be learn
ed from the foregoing is that the
feeder who keeps animals in tho
low flesh for years and then puts
them up I'd fatten loses money
The daily waste of al animal is IL
constant facter. 1t takes a certain
amount Of food to keep this up
Only the excess OF this, or what is
gained, goes to the credit account.
Hence it has come to be a recog.
nlzed fact among tile better class
OF feeders that the fuller any AMI.
NAL destined for the butchers block
the larger the profit, and hence the
earlier the maturity the larger the
return.-Chicago Tribune.